Most leisure and recreational fishing is accomplished with a rod and reel. A length of line may be wound upon a reel and an end of it adapted with various accessories which are selected for a given location and type of fish to be caught. Usually, these involve the use of a form of fish bait or lure placed upon a hook. The objective is to lure or attract a fish to the bait or lure and, when the fish strikes the bait and envelopes the hook its mouth, the hook may be set in the fish's mouth with sufficient force to cause the point of the hook to penetrate the flesh of the fish through a barb along the shaft of the fishhook near the pointed end and snag the fish so that the fish may be drawn in by means of the fish line and retrieved by the fisher.
A number of inventions have been developed in order to assist in this task. Some of these teach various ways to aid in the task of ensuring that the fish hook becomes set in the mouth of the fish in order to securely retain the fish on the end of the line until drawn in and retrieved.
For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 4,730,408, issued to Miller on March 15, 1988, teaches a spring-loaded fishhook apparatus which attempts to solve this problem. Miller '408, however, requires a mount to receive and support an entire fishing rod and reel. Otherwise, the fishing line could not be secured. Miller describes a non-adjustable and complicated trigger and requires rotation of the entire rod and reel. Miller '408 can be secured to the ground by means of a stake, but there is no provision for using it from a dock or a boat.
Additionally, U.S. Pat. No. 5,076,001, issued to Coon on Dec. 31, 1991, teaches a different spring-loaded rod apparatus. In Coon a "U" shaped spring is adapted to receive a fishing rod which is capable of securing a fishing line. A trigger flange is adapted to be held on a trigger bar. A fishing line may be adapted to move the trigger bar enough to release the tension of the "U"-shaped spring and snap the rod. It is hoped that this would set the fishhook in the fish.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,249,387, issued to Slocum on Oct. 5, 1993, teaches an ice-fishing apparatus wherein a spring-loaded rod is adapted to a trigger which is similar to a rat trap. If triggered, the rod will climb and, hopefully, jerk a fishing line secured to a reel enough to set a fishhook in the mouth of a fish. Slocum is not adjustable.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,542,205, issued to Updike on Aug. 6, 1996, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,408,779, issued to Parker on Apr. 25, 1995, teach alternative pole-mounting devices which will, when triggered, snap the rod up and set the fishhook. Each of these devices depends upon a fishing reel to secure the fishing line. Neither of these devices teaches a reliable means of adjusting the spring tension required to trigger the device and both require mounting of an entire fishing rod.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,535,538, issued to Heuke on Jul. 16, 1996, teaches an automatic jigging device. Such apparatus is meant to cause a fish lure to move in a manner to more efficiently attract fish.
While different mechanisms have been attempted in order to achieve this task. To date, none of these mechanisms are completely reliable and none of thee mechanisms are adaptable to a variety of fishing conditions, as well as a variety of means of signalling the fisher that a fish has been snagged by the apparatus.
What is needed but not provided in the prior art is a means of snagging a fish with improved reliability which is adaptable to providing a signal to the fisher that the fish has been snagged which is adaptable to the desired conditions.